


Dear Spider-man

by Def_Peach



Series: SpideyTorch Week 2019 [1]
Category: Fantastic Four, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempt at Humor, I love that that's a tag lmao, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, Multi, Peter is a Little Shit, Sexuality Crisis, also a lot of peter gay panicking, highshool AU - Freeform, it's great, so characters cuss oop, they both discover they're just a little gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-27 06:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19785316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Def_Peach/pseuds/Def_Peach
Summary: “MJ, please don’t make me write an advice column. I barely have my life together! I can’t ruin others’!”She offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Tiger, but I’m wrapped up in my play rehearsals. I really wouldn’t have come to you if it weren’t serious, but…” She shrugged.He dragged his hand across his face, suddenly feeling twenty years older. “Okay, but you owe me a donut tomorrow.”She laughed and smacked his back. “I owe you nothing, but as a thank you, I’ll get you one.”(Or the fic where Peter Parker is in charge of his school's advice column and helps out one desperate Johnny Storm.)





	Dear Spider-man

**Author's Note:**

> first, i'd like to give a shout out to my beta-reader: @fandom-mashup (on tumblr). she was such a big help 💓 second, please forgive me if i get the details on how new york transportation works wrong. i live in the suburbs lol. lastly, please leave some comments! i'd love to talk about my boys and hear some constructive feedback if you have any!

Peter was editing photos of last night’s football game when he heard MJ enter. Her honey-sweet voice reached him before her footsteps. “Hey there, Tiger-”

“Whatever you want, it’s a confirmed ‘no.’ from me,” he said, not even bothering to take his eyes off the monitor screen. He noticed her surprised face reflected next to the player he was highlighting.

She crossed her arms and huffed, “I didn’t even ask you for anything.” Her feet stopped next to his chair, her face looking down at him.

This time Peter did pause his editing to look at her. “After all these years, I know what your ‘I-need-a-favor’ tone sounds like,” he said with an eyebrow raised. 

She tilted her head. “Fine, you’ve caught me red-handed, but-” She grabbed his hands, which made his chair swivel all the way toward her- “I really need your help! Like, urgently!” 

He tried to pull his hands from her grip, but it was surprisingly tight. “MJ-”

“ _Peter_ ,” she said back. They both glared at each other until she finally blinked in an exasperated sort of way. “Look. Who never failed to give you their notes in your times of need?”

“I hardly see how that-”

“Who made Flash get off your back in freshman year?” she asked, as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “Who made dinner for both you and Aunt May when you came down with the flu? Who _cleaned up your vomit_ when you had said flu?” She leaned in closer, her green eyes boring into his blues. “Who, Peter?” 

He let his hands lie dead in hers and sighed. “Fine. Point made. What do you want?” You would’ve thought he told her the winning lottery number based off the smile she beamed at him. 

“So Mr. Jameson-” he groaned at the mere mention of their teacher’s name- “suggested we try something new in order to get more people reading our newspaper this year, right? Well, he said we should start an advice column and asked if I could do it. But we both know when he ‘asks’ for something, it’s really him just telling us to do it.” Peter snorted in agreement and then nodded for her to keep going. “Yeah, so that’s the thing: I can’t do it, but he won’t listen.” 

He immediately knew where she was going with this. “MJ, please don’t make me write an advice column. I barely have _my_ life together! I can’t ruin others’!”

She offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Tiger, but I’m wrapped up in my play rehearsals. I really wouldn’t have come to you if it weren’t serious, but…” She shrugged. 

He dragged his hand across his face, suddenly feeling twenty years older. “Okay, but you owe me a donut tomorrow.” 

She laughed and smacked his back. “I owe you nothing, but as a thank you, I’ll get you one.” 

“Deal,” he smiled back and they shook hands. She left with a hug and a goodbye, and he spun back to realize he still had his half-finished edit to work on. He laid his head on the keyboard and prayed for gentle death.

* * *

Peter felt his phone vibrate as he made himself some cereal. He set the bowl down to check the message: **What about “the Spider”?** It was from MJ. They’d been working on a nickname for Peter ever since yesterday. The whole process has been a pain in the ass from the start. Jameson wouldn't stop asking why they needed to make the column anonymous until they came up with some bullshit excuse about privacy. In reality, they figured it was the easiest way to hide that Peter was the real author from him. 

He typed out his reply with one hand while shoveling some Cheerios with his other: **“the Spider”?**

**> Yeah, we could pitch it like “Need help? Stick with the Spider!” Or some other dumb pun **

He thought it over and decided it was probably the best concept they’ve come up with so far: **That works. We could call the column “the Web” and tagline it like “Stay connected to the Web.”**

**> !!!! Peter, you genius! **

**> K, I gtg, I’ll see you at school **

Peter set his phone down and stretched, finally feeling some tension leave now that they've settled on a name. He grabbed his spoon and inhaled the rest of his breakfast. He left the empty bowl in the sink and started the coffee maker, waiting for Aunt May. 

She came out yawning and thanked him when he greeted her with a mug. Then, she sat down across from him and pointedly looked at his own mug. “You know you should cut back on the caffeine; it’ll stunt your growth.”

“Only when pigs fly,” he lifted his cup to her as a pseudo-cheers and downed it. She shook her head fondly and he laughed. After a couple minutes of chatter, he checked his phone for the time and decided it was time to head out. He kissed her cheek and then grabbed his bag. “I’ll see you later!” he waved from the door and shut it close. 

* * *

MJ started waving at Peter as soon as he approached the school’s back door. “Good morning! I have your delivery.” She handed him a small white paper bag after they both walked in. 

Peter opened it and took out the donut with glee. “You know just how to butter me up.” He bit into it and let out a blissful sigh. Original glaze, the best kind of donut. With his mouth still stuffed, he asked. “What’s with that?” She looked to where he was pointing. It was the shoe box tucked underneath her right arm. 

“Ah, this,” she pulled the box out and presented it proudly, “is our submission box. Or, well, gonna be. We gotta actually put it together first.” She walked ahead of him, heading to the middle of the hallway. “I was thinking we could set up a desk and poster for it right here so people heading for the cafeteria can see it. What’d ya think?” She spun back around to see his reaction.

He honestly couldn’t care less where the box went. But seeing MJ be so enthused about it made him want to be more supportive, so he walked over to the place she was excitedly gesturing to. It was in a spot where a medium-sized poster board could hang, but still not be too obtrusive. It’d definitely stand out to oncoming traffic. “We’d still have to ask the main office for permission, but it’s a good place to have it,” he said, smiling at her twinkling eyes. 

Her eyes moved to the clock above him and widened when she realized what time it was. “Oh shit! I was supposed to meet up with Gwen!” She thrust the shoe box into him before he could react. “Talk to you later, Pete!” She pulled at both of her backpack straps as she sprinted towards the opposite hall. 

He looked at the box and then back at the direction she ran, muttering a “Gee, thanks.” to himself. He stuffed the box into his bag and headed down the hall to his first block. 

When Peter set his bag down on his desk next to Harry, he saw his friend stare at the box peeking out. Peter lifted his hand up the second Harry’s mouth opened. “Don’t ask.” 

* * *

Third block came quicker than Peter had expected. It made him want to drag himself to the computer lab as slowly as possible. Coming up with ideas for the column was fine, but having to actually put it together was draining him already. Even with his sluggish pace, he made it there on time. He greeted Betty halfheartedly as he came in.

“Well, looks like someone’s eager for work today,” she joked. She had some decency to look concerned when she saw his dead expression. “What’s up? Didn’t finish the photos yesterday?”

“I wish it was that,” he groaned. He pulled the seat out at the computer next to her and started the machine up. “Nah, it’s this other project I got stuck with.” 

She hummed in sympathy. “I’m sure you’ll get it done.”

“I just wished I didn’t have to,” he huffed. Just as those words left his mouth, MJ walked in. She saw the shoe box laying next to the monitor and gave him two thumbs up. He felt his heart clench. “It’s for a good cause, though, so I’ll live.” 

Betty glanced at the two of them and gave him a pitying look. While he didn’t appreciate that look, he did appreciate that she dropped the subject in favor of her work. He didn’t think he’d be able to answer any questions without giving away the truth. Or without looking like an idiot.

He focused his attention to his screen, ready to open up Word, when he felt a nudge at his shoulder. “Come on, I got the okay, Jameson said we can put the box out now.” 

He looked at MJ, surprised. “It’s not even decorated yet, and what about the poster?” 

“A woman always comes prepared!” she said while pulling out box full of red and blue construction paper, a bunch of arts and craft stuff, and a rolled up poster board from behind her back. 

He laughed. “Where’d you even get all that?” 

“I stopped by the art room before getting here,” she shuffled her feet to make sure none of the materials slip from her hands, “And all of this is kinda heavy, so let’s go.” He laughed a little harder, earning a scowl, but got up to help. He took the poster and some of the paper out and went to hold the door open for both of them, still giggling. 

Clearly fed up with him, she flipped her long hair to whack him in the face and smirked when he dropped everything to wipe at his mouth. “Why do I taste chemically bitter apples and cinnamon?” he gagged.

It was MJ’s turn to laugh. “Bath and Body Works,” she brushed out her glossy locks with her fingers, “doesn’t it smell wonderful?”

“I’ll tell you once my nose stops burning.”

Just as MJ was about to respond, Betty called out, “You two are literally five! Hurry up and go finish whatever you need to do!” 

MJ bumped him with her hip and whispered, “That’s our cue to _go._ ” 

They left, ignoring Betty flipping them off, and snickered to themselves. The hallway they had picked out earlier was completely empty, so they wasted no time to toss everything on the floor. They both plopped down across from each other and began sorting out the materials. Peter eyed the two colored papers skeptically as he picked them up. “Okay, what’s up with all the red and blue?”

MJ shrugged. “Dunno. That’s all the teacher would give me.” She grabbed one from his hand and started measuring it out to the box. “Didn’t really mind all that much. Why? Does it bother you?” 

“Not really. Just didn’t expect it for something spider themed, I guess,” he said as watched her hands work. 

She responded with a half shrug and then said, “Let’s wrap the box with the blue first, and then put on the red.” 

Not one for much decorating, he just nodded and left her to it. He decided to start on the poster instead. He grabbed the Sharpie and popped the pen’s cap off. “What should it say?” 

She paused for a second, thinking. “Just use the slogans we came up with this morning. Maybe write a little message explaining what the column is and ask for submissions?” 

He hummed in agreement and went to writing, trying hard to make his handwriting neat. He drew a little spider coming down the middle of the poster so it points to the box after they hang it up. He used the rest of the blank space to draw little doodles that resembled webs.

MJ leaned in to take a look at his finished product and giggled at the drawings. “Not too shabby.”

“ _‘Not too shabby’_? This is a Peter Parker masterpiece!” he said, jokingly puffing out his chest. 

She laughed. “Okay, Picasso, I think we’re done now.” She got up and walked to one of the empty desks laying around in the hallway. She made sure to lift it so its legs wouldn’t drag on the floor and placed it at the spot they’d examined earlier. The box went on top of it after she was done adjusting its placement. Peter ripped pieces of tape off the roll and pressed the poster onto the wall above it. They both stepped back to look at everything put together.

Seeing nothing else to add, he crossed his arms. “And now, we wait.”

* * *

Peter didn’t get his first submission until three days later. Honestly, that was faster then he’d expected. He even made a bet against MJ saying it would take a week. Now he owes her a milkshake. Damn.

He took the box home to avoid Jameson's eyes, and stuck his hand in it the second he entered his room. A single piece of scratch paper came out. He shook the box to make sure there wasn’t any leftovers in there. Hearing no rustle, he opened the folded slip up. 

It read:

Dear Spider, 

First off, what a thing to learn. Our school has its own advice column? lol Godspeed, dude, godspeed. Second, I’m not the type that would usually do this kinda thing, but I figured “might as well?” yknow? Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that jazz. Anyways, I kinda fought with my sister last week, like, fought. (It’s pretty bad, we’re not talking.) And the thing is she’s more a mom to me than just an older sister, so I would really love it if I didn’t have to come home every day to us ignoring each other. What should I do? - The Human Torch (get it? Cuz I’m hot 😉) 

Peter’s first reaction was to roll his eyes at the awful nickname, but the rest of the letter soon hit him after. _Oh, yikes, I was expecting a couple cheating on each other or two best friends fighting for the first story- not family troubles_ , he thought. He scanned through the letter once more and leaned back in his chair. The jokes were an obvious cover-up of how worried this person was, but one part of it stuck with him the most: “... _the thing is she’s more a mom to me than just an older sister…”_ He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the same scenario but with him and Aunt May. He immediately hated the idea of it. It was painful to simply think of them not speaking to each other, much less having to deal with that for seven whole days. _This person needs help. Stat_.

He started up his desktop, ready to let his fingers fly. He closed his eyes for a second, imagining the whole scenario again and how he'd solve it, and then went to typing:

Dear Human Torch,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened with your sister. No one likes fighting with family, I get it, so I'm glad you decided to ask me for help. I really think you should be the brave one here and apologize to her. _Even if you think what she did was worse._ It'll get you guys to start a conversation again and address the issue at hand. Plus, you only get one family in this world. If she loves you, she'll want to talk, too.

Maybe go the extra mile and get her a gift, just to show you're over it and want to make amends. Personally, I think those Hostess fruit pies never fail, so, yeah. Flowers never hurt either! You have me rooting for you, so good luck!

And stay lit, hotshot. 

He simultaneously wanted to delete the last sentence and pat himself on the back for it. _Fuck it,_ he thought, _if they get to call themselves something as ridiculous as "The Human Torch", then I get to make my own puns._ He scanned the submission onto his computer and added it to his document. He uploaded everything to his newspaper folder to edit later. 

Hours after giving up on his homework and eating dinner, he turned off the lights and crawled into bed. As he shut his eyes, he couldn't help but wish: _Hope it goes well for you, Torch._

* * *

"I'm gonna go throw my trash away really quick," Peter said while getting up. 

"Oh, won't you be a dear and throw mine away, too? Pretty please?" MJ asked, batting her eyes playfully while trying to shovel her trash onto his lunch tray.

He laughed as he pushed her trash away from him. "Fuck off." He picked up his tray after assembling everything into a neat pile again and headed for the nearest trash-can. He heard footsteps come up from behind him.

"You're Peter, right?" a masculine voice asked. 

Peter turned around, asking, "Who wants to know?" When he saw who it was, he gave pause. "Oh." Why the fuck would Johnny Storm be looking for him?

"Yeah, 'oh.' So you are, aren't you?" 

"Yeah, but-" Johnny suddenly pulled him by the arm as he lead them over to the empty corner of the cafeteria. He pulled his arm out of the other's grip. "Dude, what's wrong with you?"

The older boy fiddled with his hands before asking, "I heard from MJ that you know the guy who writes the advice column- The Spider?" 

He didn't know how to respond for a second, and just crossed his arms. "Yeah, I know who it is," he finally said. "Why?"

Johnny rubbed his arm before answering, "I should start from the beginning, huh? I, um," he sighed, "I got into this massive fight with my sis earlier. It was over something stupid, can't even remember it now, but we ended up ignoring each other for a little while. The silence was eating at me, so I wrote a submission for the column." He began to smile. "Spidey really helped out. I mean, I already knew that I should've talked to her, but it was one of those things where I had to hear someone else say it to me. Anyway, I just wanna tell them thanks," Peter felt himself soften a little at Johnny's warm eyes. "Do you think I could meet them?" He immediately tensed up again.

"Uh," he floundered around for an excuse, "they really wanna keep their privacy. Sorry." 

"Oh," Johnny's smile dropped. "No, it's alright. I understand."

He turned to leave, but Peter called out, "Wait!"

He turned back around, puzzled by the sudden shout. "What?"

"I can give you their phone number." Damn his impulsive mouth.

That succeeded in making the blond's sapphire eyes light up, though. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

He grimaced to himself. "Yeah, you seem like a swell guy. I'm trusting you not to spread it around or anything."

Johnny shook his head and attempted the boy-scout swear. "I wouldn't, I promise. Here." He offered his phone to him.

Peter hesitated before accepting it. He put his number in and named his contact "Spider". After he saved it, he handed the phone back over to Johnny.

The upperclassman grinned in a way that made his whole face shine. "You're a pretty 'swell guy' yourself, Parker." His eyes seemed to sparkle. "Thank you."

He simply grunted and headed back to his lunch table. He saw everyone look at him with curiosity.

"So why'd the infamous Johnny Storm drag you off somewhere?" Harry asked. 

"We were talking," he responded, trying to keep his voice casual.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay. But about what?"

"Nothing important."

"Pete, you were literally dragged away."

"Are you eating crinkle fries? Wow! Who came up with the word 'crinkle' anyway?"

Harry gave him a dead stare. 

He sighed. "Fine. We talked about something private that I don't think he'd appreciate me spilling to everyone, okay?"

Harry raised his hands in surrender. "Don't need to be so aggressive."

“I’ll show you ‘aggressive,’” he said as he grabbed a handful of the fries and shoved it into his mouth. 

“My fries!”

”Shouldn’t have tested me, Har.”

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're so dumb."

"Aw, but you still love me! How embarrassing," he said as he elbowed his best friend in the ribs. 

"MJ, stop staring and help me!"

"No," she said while throwing popcorn into her mouth.

Peter wrapped his arm around Harry's neck as he struggled to get out of Peter's hold. "I hate all of you!"

"Not me, though. Right?" Liz asked from across from him.

You could practically see the hearts float around him. "Never."

"You sap," Peter snickered. Harry finally got enough room to elbow him back, so he slid off him.

* * *

Peter was working on his AP Chemistry homework when his phone finally buzzed. He placed his pencil down and reached for his phone nervously. 

** > i know this is kinda outta the blue but hi **

** > it's the human torch aka johnny storm **

** > surprise! **

He paused for just a second before typing out his reply: **How did you get my number?** He figured it’d be better to play dumb.

** > i got ur number from peter, he said it was cool, and i just wanted to say thank you**

He watched as Johnny continued to type for awhile. 

** > ur message meant alot to me. even if it was a small problem for u, it was kinda eating at me so i appreciate u helping me and my sis out. **

** > she's the only real family i still have around **

** > anyway!!! you don't wanna hear about my sad story **

** > i just wanted to let u know no matter how dumb people say having an advice column is**\- Peter frowned at that- **i'll always appreciate u, so i hope u'll keep going**

He let his thumbs dance in the air, debating whether or not to ask about Johnny's family. He settled on: **Thanks for the support, Torchy! I'm glad to hear everything worked out in the end, and I'm willing to lend you an ear whenever you need it.** He waited for a response, but none came. Feeling a tad disappointed, he turned his attention back to finishing his schoolwork. His phone buzzed two hours later, much to his surprise.

** > oh! i wasn't expecting u to reply 😳 lol **

** > thank u **

He chuckled to himself: **Of course, I'm your friendly neighborhood superhero! You can always count on me!**

** > omg, my hero 😍**

** > but "the spider"? really? shouldn't a hero have a cooler name? **

He huffed: **As if you could do any better.**

** > hmmmmmm **

** > superman **

He snorted: **Already taken, dumbass.**

** > spidey!! u wound me 😰 so much for my hero 😭💔💔💔**

** > ok, so the naming thing is harder than i thought **

** > but i still think u could do better 😤**

** > oh! what if you mashed the spider and superman together?? **

** > so like ✨ spider-man ✨**

**What if I'm a girl? < **

** > spider-man can be used for any gender 😤**

** > i gtg eat dinner now :'( don't miss me too much **

** > ttyl 🤗**

Peter caught himself smiling softly and was startled by that. He decided very firmly not to think about it and that it'd be better to go eat some dinner, too.

He couldn't help but think that the Chinese leftovers tasted just a little more tasty that night.

* * *

**> do u have snapchat? **

Peter felt a spark of annoyance at the text. It had interrupted his writing. When he realized it was from Johnny, however, he just sighed. It's been more than a month since they started the column, and he's been more receiving more submissions than ever. He suspected that that was thanks to Johnny's not-so-subtle advertising around the school. (Peter caught him taping selfies of himself asking people to send submissions one day.) It was kind of him to do, but it made things harder for Peter. He's had to double down on newspaper editing, which leaves him little time to study. The only thing that keeps him from quitting is, ironically, Johnny. He goes back to their first conversation whenever he feels frustrated and lets the words wash over him. He's received other thank-you letters before, but none of them stuck with him like Johnny's.

Johnny also texts him every day. He doesn't know how, but they've managed to talk at least once ever since the day he gave him his number. It started off as Johnny trying to guess his identity, but eventually dissolved into just getting to know each other. They now know each other's favorite TV shows, favorite book, favorite ice cream flavor, favorite song- basically they're best friends now. It was great.

Peter looked at his screen and then back at his phone. He decided that he finished answering enough letters for the day and shut his computer off. He flopped onto his bed and got onto his phone: **No, why?**

** > duuuuuuuuuuuuude **

** > ur lame. 😒**

** > get it!! **

**Again, why? < **

** > because **

** > i want to start streaks with u **

**What are "streaks"? < **

** > streaks, grandpa, are when u and ur friend (in this case: moi) snapchat each other everyday **

**That sounds like what we do already. < **

** > exactly!! **

** >but this time we'll get to see the number of days of our labor AND an emoji 🤩**

**> plus it'll be pictures instead of just texts**

**If we do this, know that I will be critiquing ALL of your photos. <**

**> why do u sap the fun out of everything :(**

**> fine**

**> but u'll do it then??? **

Peter thought it over. He knew this might be a way of Johnny trying to figure out who he was, but he didn't mind as much as he did in the beginning. He slowly typed out: **Ok, but no face pics from me.**

**> DEAL! **

**> i didn't think u were gonna send me any anyways **

**> we gucci**

**> add me as a friend when u make it**

**Ok. < **

He got out of his messenger app and into his app store. He waited for the app to download, kind of anxiously, and opened it when he saw it was ready. He made his account and then explored around, trying to figure out how the app worked. He eventually found the "Add Friends" button and scrolled until he found Johnny's contact. He clicked "Add" as soon as he saw it and added MJ as well.

He was about to text Johnny to let him know that he was done, but he got a Snapchat notification first. He clicked on it. It was a picture of Johnny winking and blowing a kiss with a caption: **i see u figured it out! now, when will i get to see my lovely spider's face?**

Peter rolled his eyes, ignoring the warmth in his chest. He took a picture of the white wall in front of him and captioned it: **I'm not dumb, Flamebrain. I can figure this app out just fine. Also, never. My face is too ugly for anyone to stand. It's my secret superpower, so I'm saving you from it.**

He opened the next Snapchat Johnny sent him as soon as the notification popped up. Johnny had a smug face on: **little does the hero know, i wanted them to send pictures of their room. that much closer to figuring out the great spider-man's secret identity.** Peter was about to respond when he heard Aunt May call him down for dinner.

He took a blurry picture of his stairs as he came down them and typed: **Why do you want to know what I look like anyway? I'm sure my charms are enough to make you fall in love.** He opened the cupboard without taking his eyes off his screen. He heard someone clear their throat as he reached for two plates. He lifted his head to see Aunt May with a hand on her hip. Not good. "Uh, hi, Aunt May." 

"I'd appreciate it if you would pay attention while handling glass," she said with an eyebrow raised. 

He smiled, feeling abashed. "Sorry, I'll be more careful." He stuffed his phone into his pocket, fingers flinching when he heard his phone go off again.

Aunt May stared at his phone with a puzzled expression. "I've never seen you so enthralled with your cellphone before. Who is it? MJ?"

"No, another friend," he mumbled as he pulled two plates out, this time with both of his hands and with both of his eyes watching. 

"What happened to your whole: 'I'm fighting my generation' shtick?" He could hear the laughter in her voice.

Peter went to ladle the spaghetti noodles onto the plates while saying firmly, "I'm only human; I have my own faults." After adding just the right amount of pasta to each plate, he went over to the tomato sauce. 

She responded with an agreeing hum, which he knew was just to humor him. "Well, I hope I get to meet the lucky lady soon then."

He froze in the middle of stirring the pot and spun to face her. "Wha?" he sputtered. 

"Peter," she said with a smile, "I haven't seen you this lively since you and MJ were dating. I'm glad to see you like this again." He found the sauce very interesting all of sudden and decided it needed all of his attention. He heard Aunt May sigh from behind him. "Peter."

"It's really not like that, though," he finally said after spooning the sauce onto their plates, "He's just a friend." 

"'He? _'"_ she repeated, eyes wide. He got tense without knowing why. He shouldn't be so nervous. He really didn't have a crush on Johnny. Really. 

"Yeah, I told you, not a crush," he said as he served the plates.

When he looked at Aunt May's face, he couldn't read it. He did notice her tight fists relax after a second, and then she suddenly took grasp of his. "Peter, I love you no matter what-" she squeezed- "You know that, right?"

Ice filled his blood, making him go all numb. He wanted to deny the thing she was insinuating, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, he joked, "I know you do; you would've kicked me out by now if you didn't. Let's eat." He watched her face fall with disappointment, but she didn't continue the conversation. They ate in an unsteady silence until he brought up something Harry did earlier that made them both laugh.

Dinner continued on as normal until their plates were empty. He placed his dirty dish into the sink and ran to his room as quick as he could. He flopped onto his bed, not bothering to turn the lights on, and buried his face into his pillow. The thought of Johnny wouldn't leave his mind. It didn't make any sense, though. Peter was sure he still liked MJ, even if they both agreed to break up. She was the only one to give him stupid butterflies and all that shit. He knew his heart still pounded at the sight of her red hair and sound of her sweet voice. He did not have a crush on the, frankly, obnoxious Johnny Storm.

The vibrations against his leg broke him out of his deep thoughts. He rolled over and took his phone out. He realized he never opened Johnny's last Snapchats. He clicked the first one. It was a picture of the heart-eye emoji and a caption that said: **u have my whole heart already, just want to see the face of its owner** 😔🙏He felt his heartbeat speed up.

He did not have a crush.

He clicked on the second one. It just had a black background saying: **i'm sorry if i pushed to see your face too much. u don't have to show it if it makes u that uncomfortable, honest**

His chest tightened.

The last one was of Johnny with a sleepy expression and no shirt. His golden hair fell in a way that made Peter think he purposely styled it like that. This one simply said: **good night, webhead, have good dreams** 😴 He shut his phone off and set it face down onto his nightstand. He threw his arm over his eyes and pulled the covers over himself. He felt nauseous.

Peter Parker had a crush on Johnny Storm.

* * *

Peter decided that he hated Christmas while entering some random store MJ pulled him into. Thank God she was there to help him shop so last minute. He only had to shop for three people: his aunt, Harry, and MJ- but procrastination was a bitch. He still wanted to crawl into his warm bed to this minute. 

"C'mon, Tiger, I promise it'll only take you an hour at most," MJ said while dragging him down the jewelry display cases. "I won't even hold a gift against you this time. You making the advice column a success is enough." 

"No, I gotta get you a present," he grumbled, "Don't challenge me." She huffed out a chuckle and continued guiding him by the arm. He eventually found enough strength to carry himself and told MJ it was okay for them to split so she could search for her own things. She seemed hesitant to leave him, but ultimately agreed. She skipped off to the shoe section while he went to track down suitable gifts for everyone.

He eventually found things that he thought everyone would like and was about go search for MJ when he felt his phone go off. Of course it was Johnny.

**> i know ur probs busy on christmas **

**> but do u think we could meet up?**

**> i got u a present**

Peter was surprised and immediately sent: **Dude, what? Don't waste your money on me! Go return it.**

**> i knew u were gonna say that**

**> that's y i threw the receipt away oops 😳**

**> can we tho?? **

**I guess. You've kinda given me no choice. Where and when? <**

**> yay!!**

**> uh**

**> around 9 pm ok with u?**

**Sure. You still haven't said where though. <**

**> battery park?**

**Alright. I got to go do more shopping thanks to you, so I'll talk to you later. <**

**> u don't have to buy me anything tho!**

**Yes, I do, Storm. It's the polite thing to do. <**

**> 😒😒😒**

**> fine, u have to buy me something amazing then, cuz i'm amazing 😌 **Peter snorted at that as he shut his phone off.

Out of nowhere, two hands grabbed his shoulders. "You look like you're having fun!" 

He nearly jumped. "Jesus, MJ!" She bent down from laughing so hard. He rolled his eyes at her. "You're causing a scene." He didn't know if three people glancing counted as "a scene", but still.

"Sorry, sorry," she said while wiping a tear from her eye. "You were totally distracted by your phone." She finally got up and caught her breath. "Who is it anyway? I've never seen you on your phone for that long."

Flashbacks to that dinner with Aunt May made him grimace. "No one you really know." 

She squinted at him in suspicion. "Liar, we both know I know _everyone_." She suddenly gasped. "No, wait! Peter! Are you dating someone?" She leaned in. "Is it Felicia?" 

"No! Why does everyone always assume I'm in love with this person?" he groaned.

All the humor left her face. "I never said 'in love'." Her eyes widened. "It really is a crush."

He blushed. His damn mouth. "I didn't say 'love'. I think you've must've misheard me." 

A sneaky smile grew on her face. "Nuh-uh, Tiger, you're not getting away that easily!" She attempted to snatch the phone out of his hand, but he managed to keep it away from her. 

"It's honestly no one, MJ! I think you're over-analyzing this!" he said while struggling to keep his phone away from her grabby hands. She somehow got Peter to drop his arm low enough to grab his phone. She dodged his attempts to steal it back while opening his messenger app with anticipation. Her body stopped when she saw who he was texting. He took that momentary pause to get his phone back. They both stood facing each other, not saying anything. 

Peter was the one to break the silence. "So maybe I did lie earlier. You definitely know Johnny. That'd be really weird if you didn't know your fellow model coworker. How is work, by the way? Good?" 

"Tiger..." Mj sighed and walked over. She wrapped her long arms around him and whispered, "You know you didn't have to keep this from me? I don't think any different of you." She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I don't think anyone will, and if they do, I'll beat them up for you. So don't worry, yeah?" 

He felt a bittersweet smile appear on his face. "It was just weird because I still have lingering feelings for you." He wanted to scoop the words right back into his mouth as soon as he said them.

She returned his smile with one of her own. "We both knew it was better like this. You've found someone new that makes you happy anyway. Carpe diem." She patted his arm. "I'm gonna go pay now and leave you to shop. You should go look for something nice if you wanna impress him Christmas Day." 

"My personality isn't enough? It's cheaper."

"A _nice_ gift, Pete," she laughed. He stuck his tongue out at her as she flipped him off walking toward the line for the register. _Well_ , he thought, _Time for more shopping_.

Peter ended up wandering around the store like a lost ghost after MJ left. She finished paying before he found something Johnny might like, so he told her go home without him, not wanting her to wait on him. He was about to give up and just buy candy when his eyes laid on a toy fire extinguisher. He grinned. It was perfect.

* * *

"No, Aunt May, I really can't eat any more," Peter pleaded as he pushed away the plate Aunt May was trying to place in front of him. Harry and MJ were both snickering as they watched him and his aunt fight, like the great friends they were. 

"You're still a growing boy! You hardly eat anything during the school year!" Aunt May scolded. "C'mon, one more plate, for me?"

"Why not ask Harry!" he begged while pointing to the boy next to him. 

The bell on Harry's elf hat jingled as he swiveled his head to glare at Peter. "Don't you dare try to use me as a scapegoat, Parker." 

Peter blew a raspberry at him. "All's fair in love and war and Christmas dinners." He turned his attention back to May. "And really, I'm too full to eat anymore. I'll explode, Aunt May, is that what you want? Your favorite nephew exploding on Christmas?" He ignored Harry's mutter of "Sure would be a nice gift." and gave her his sad puppy dog look. 

She sighed. "No, but I see how it is. You don't like your old aunt's cooking. It's fine, Peter, I understand." 

He groaned. "That's not fair, Aunt May. Fine, you win." 

She gave him a wide smile and kissed him on the cheek. "That's what I thought." She placed the plate in front of him, so he sighed to himself as he picked up his fork. 

"As entertaining as that was," MJ started, "you better eat quickly, Tiger." He looked at her confused with his cheeks full of mashed potatoes.

Harry spoke for him, "Why's that?" 

MJ turned on her phone showed them the time: 8:11 PM. He nearly spat the food out of his mouth.

He swallowed everything down painfully fast while getting up. "Shitshitshit!" He grabbed his jacket off his chair and sprinted to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Aunt May shouted while he ran up to his room. 

"I'm meeting up with Johnny!" He could hear Harry's voice yelling "Johnny Storm?!" from downstairs as he swiped the decorated bag off his desk. He was about to run back down until he realized he can't show his face. He did a quick scan of his room and spotted a scarf. He pulled it out of the pile of clothes in his closet and wrapped it around his face until he resembled a mummy. It was the best he had. 

He raced down the steps when he had everything he needed and saw everyone staring at the scarf. "It's new trend," he said, matter-of-factly, "don't judge." They didn't comment but were definitely still judging.

Peter went to hug Aunt May first. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." She simply hugged him back and told him to be safe. He walked over to MJ and Harry next. 

"You better explain everything to me when you get back," Harry said as he punched him in the arm. 

"I will," Peter promised and then punched him back, "Thanks for coming." 

Harry responded, "Duh, of course, beats having to eat with my dad and his lackeys." Peter pursed his lips at what he said but didn't say anything. Harry had to move out of the way for MJ anyway.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "Don't do anything stupid."

He gave her a cheeky grin in response. "Can't promise the impossible, but I'll try." She rolled her eyes with a fond smile and hugged him.

He hugged her back while whispering, "Thank you for coming and for being here for me."

"As if I could ever leave you, just imagine the chaos," she joked.

He laughed as they broke the hug and then opened the door. "I'll be going now." They all waved goodbye to him as he stepped out into the snow.

Once the door shut close, Peter dashed to the subway like his life depended on it. His phone told him it was already 8:21. By the time he made it to the station, it was 8:34. "Fuck!" he whispered to himself. He tapped his foot out of impatience as he waited for his MetroCard payment to go through. It finally ringed him up and he made his way to the trains. 

Just as he thought things couldn't get worse, an announcement came on: "Due to the current weather conditions, line B will be slightly delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience."

A collective sound of frustration was heard from the station, but Peter was beyond frustrated. He was so close to going back home just to figure out a way to beat up the snow. Instead, he pulled his phone out to warn Johnny that he was going to be super late and that maybe they should try again tomorrow. But lo and behold, there was no service. _God hates me,_ Peter decided while feeling any sense of hope escape his body. 

When the train finally arrived, it was 8:45. He hopped on and clenched his fists, hoping Johnny was smarter than him and went home. He made it to Battery Park around 9:50. It had stopped snowing, thankfully, but it was still freezing. He immediately whipped out his phone as soon as he found a bench not completely iced over. He texted: **You went home, right?** He waited anxiously for Johnny's reply. 

It came around five minutes later: **no, but i hid out in a nearby cafe. r u here now?**

Peter wanted to strangle Johnny. **You idiot.** **What if I didn't come at all? Would you have waited all night?**

**> no**

**> but i knew u would come**

**> i'm coming out now**

**> where r u?**

_This asshole,_ he thought. _Wait 'til I get my hands on him._ He typed out: **I'm at a bench next to one of those telescopes that look out at the Statue of Liberty.**

**> i'm omw**

Peter shoved his phone into his pocket and buried his face into the scarf, trying to fight the cold. He stared at the distant teal statue and felt his anger ebb away slowly. He was almost asleep by the time he heard Johnny's voice call out, "Spider-man?"

"Yeah," Peter turned his covered face to look for Johnny, "Over here." He was scared Johnny would recognize him by his voice but then was relieved to hear the scarf muffled it enough.

Johnny's face was rosy from the biting cold and the dark only made his eyes appear brighter. He smiled at him as he moved to sit next to him. "What's with the scarf?" 

"Superhero secret identity," he mumbled. He placed his head on Johnny's shoulder and then instantly pressed his whole face in. "Why are you so _warm_?" 

His head bobbled up and down from Johnny's breathy laugh. "You're just freezing! Here," he said as he pulled his jacket off. 

Peter lifted his head and stopped him. "You really have nothing but air in here, huh?" he asked as he flicked Johnny's head. "I've got my own jacket." 

"But you're shivering," Johnny pointed out. "It's fine. We'll exchange gifts really quick; my body won't even get cold!" 

He shook his head. "No, just keep it on."

Johnny pouted but gave in and put his jacket back on. "So who's going first?"

"Here," he said while grabbing the bag next to him. If Johnny was a dog, you'd see his tail wagging from how excited he was. He placed all the tissue paper in a neat pile in between them and pulled the toy out. He stared at it for a moment before bursting out laughing. It was like music to Peter's numb ears. 

"Y-You gotta be joking!" Johnny wheezed. It took him a second to catch his breath. He grinned up at Peter. "Spidey, we must be soulmates because-" he twisted around to grab the big bag that was sitting next to him and pulled out a box- "I got you this." He took the wrapped box from Johnny and placed it down on his lap. He tore the paper off and opened it. He couldn't help but bark out a laugh when he pulled out the can of bug spray. 

"You're right, Torchy," he snorted, "We are soulmates." He felt rush of affection at the thought but quickly sobered up. _Oh God,_ he thought, _I've got it bad._

Johnny, on the other hand, was still chuckling. "This might top the actual gift I got you." 

"What."

"Yeah," he said while scratching his cheek, looking embarrassed. He pulled a second box from his bag. It was smaller than the last, so Peter shook it when it was handed it him. It was surprisingly heavy. He set it down on his lap and opened it.

Peter felt his eyes pop out. " _Johnny!_ " It was a Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II- a fucking 650 dollar camera- and a set of lenses. "What the _fuck?_ I can't accept this!" His head spun at the idea of him simply taking it home. 

"You told me you needed a new camera," was the reply he got.

"Yeah, but 650 dollars?!" he sputtered. He felt a stone drop in his stomach. There was no way he could ever pay this back.

"Spidey? Spider, calm down. It's okay. Stepbrother to Reed Richards, remember? I'm rich." 

He screwed his eyes shut. "You're so-" _Kind. Gorgeous. Special._ "- insane. How do I even repay you for this?"

"You don't have to," the soft tone of Johnny's voice made Peter turn toward him. He was playing with a piece of thread on his jacket and got a glassy look his eyes. "What you've done for me is enough." 

He frowned. "I haven't done anything as extravagant as this for you."

"No, you have." Johnny gave him a watery smile. "That fight with my sister I wrote to you about? It was 'cause she lied to me about our father. I thought he was dead, but turns out he was alive in prison this whole time." Peter felt his jaw drop, which made Johnny snicker a little. "Yeah, that was my reaction, too." His smile fell, and he sighed. "I was so angry, but I couldn't hate her. She did what she thought was best for me." He let the back of his head rest against the bench and pointed his stare up at the sky. "But I only truly forgave her after you wrote back. You made me remember she was the only sister I have and that she basically raised me on her own." His adoring blue eyes landed back on Peter, making him feel all fuzzy. "No gift will ever hold up to that." 

He didn't know how to respond. He never realized the impact he had other people could be this strong. It made him feel beyond good; it made him feel like a true hero. That thought gave him an idea. "You've been asking for awhile now, and I don't want keep secrets from you anymore, so," he began to unravel the scarf from his face, but felt a hand stop him.

"No," he heard Johnny say. He re-wrapped his face and saw Johnny scrunch his nose up jokingly. "You think I want to see your ugly face after how you've described it?" He let go of Peter's arm and looked at him with the corners of his eyes crinkled. "It's enough that I know you're a friend." He got up abruptly and stretched. "Well! It's time to go home now, don'tcha think?" He turned to face Peter. "I'll take you to the station." Peter nodded and gathered all his stuff, making sure to handle the camera set with extra care. 

Johnny drove them next to the station entrance and parked. Peter unbuckled, ready to say goodbye, but paused when Johnny said, "Wait, here." He leaned in and gave Peter a chaste kiss, lips only separated by the thin layer of scarf. He pulled back and bit his bottom lip sheepishly. "Merry Christmas, Spider-man." 

Peter felt his heartbeat skyrocket and knew he had to get the hell out of there. He wrenched the car door open and jumped out. He didn't even dare look back at Johnny before running to the trains. He sat down in one of the subways when it arrived and placed a hand on his heart, trying to make it slow down. _"Don't do anything stupid..."_ MJ's words echoed in his head. Too late.

When he finally got home, the first thing Aunt May said to him was, "Are you sick? Your face is glowing red." 

* * *

"Ugh, finally," Harry groaned as the bell rang, signaling the end of school. "Why is the first week back from break always the worst?"

Peter laughed, but only halfheartedly. Ever since the kiss, he's been avoiding Johnny. He knew it was a bad thing to do, but he couldn't help it. It was like the mere sight of him made Peter panic, which made him terrified to talk to him, which made his guilt build up, which made him more stressed in general. It was a vicious cycle. MJ tried to get him to text back multiple times now, but each time he's chickened out. None of his words ever sounded right to him, so he ended up deleting everything. It's been more than a week since Christmas, and at this point, he was so close to giving up on salvaging the mess he made. He sighed as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, Pete," Harry said, trying to comfort him. "I'll walk with you to your house?"

He appreciated the thought but wasn't really in the mood to talk. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later." Harry looked worried but left first anyway. Just as Peter was going to step out, a hand pulled him over to the back exit in the hall. His shouts died on his tongue as soon as he recognized Johnny. He looked as tired as Peter felt.

"I'm sorry about this," he said, genuinely looking apologetic. "But I need your help."

Peter searched for a way out, but found that Johnny fully blocked his way. He knew he was successfully cornered in. "What do you want, Storm?" He meant to sound standoffish, but he sounded distressed even to his own ears. 

He watched as Johnny's Adam's apple bobbed. "So I'm assuming you and Spider are pretty close if you know his number and identity, right?"

He hesitated before answering, "Y-yeah." 

"I," Johnny bit his lip, "I kinda fucked up, so he's been ignoring me. It's understandable, really. I, um, I kissed him because I read the mood wrong. I also completely forgot to consider the fact that he probably isn't into guys." He sighed. "But he's been ignoring my texts, so I haven't gotten a chance to properly apologize to him. Do you... Do you think you could hand this to him?" It was a folded up slip of paper. "I know I should use the submission box, but I know for a fact that he'd toss this out as soon he read my name." The guilt was like a sword through his chest.

"Oh, Johnny..." he murmured. He wanted to punch himself. "I'm such an idiot."

Johnny looked both surprised and concerned. "What? Why? You haven't done anything."

Now he _really_ wanted to punch himself. "Yes, I did, Flamebrain-" He watched as Johnny's shocked eyes grew- "I ran away from you."

"How do you know-"

"Because _I'm_ Spider-man." He let out a bitter chuckle. "And I'm also the guy dumb enough to run from his crush kissing him."

"'Crush'?" Johnny repeated with disbelief. "Did you say-"

"Yes, Hothead," he said. "I have a big fat crush on you."

It looked like Johnny could faint at any second. It took him a couple of seconds to snap out of it and ask, "So if you like me, why'd you run?"

"I don't know," Peter answered, completely honest. "I guess I got scared. I've always been into girls, so I wasn't used to having to deal my feelings for a guy. And then you kissed me. That made my whole brain short-circuit." 

Johnny plopped down onto the floor with a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I was so scared I overwhelmed you with the camera."

Peter thrust his finger at him. "That too! You're too fucking nice! I'm still not over how much you spent on me!"

"Well, I wasn't gonna buy you a crappy camera!" Johnny sniffed.

"You shouldn't have bought me one in the first place!"

Johnny pouted. "But I like you."

"Even still." 

A devilish grin grew on the blond's face. "I know a way for you to pay me back."

Peter became slightly nervous. "How?" With how expensive the gift was, he could only imagine how big the request might be.

Johnny leaned in with his lips puckered. "Kiss me properly this time- and don't run away."

Peter snorted. "That's it?"

"That's it. That's all I want."

He looked at Johnny softly and leaned in to meet their lips together. They started off slow, but deepened it quickly. Johnny was the one to break apart first, breathing hard. "For a guy who was scared by his crush on another dude, you sure don't kiss like it." His lips were swollen red and sheen with spit; hair disheveled from Peter's hands. Peter decided he liked that look on him the best. 

He placed his forehead on Johnny's shoulder, watching goosebumps rise on his neck from Peter's breath. "What can I say, Torchy? You've lit a fire in me." He cackled when Johnny pushed him off.

"Just because of that, I'm gonna tell everyone you ran away from our first kiss." 

"Then I'll never kiss you again," Peter said solemnly. 

Johnny gasped. "That's dirty, Peter. You know I can't live without your kisses!" 

"Well, in that case." He leaned in and pecked him on the lips. He stared into Johnny's blue eyes and joked, breathlessly, "Guess I gotta keep you alive."

Johnny looked at him with a sickening amount of affection and swooned, "My hero." They kissed once more before heading out of school together. 

**Author's Note:**

> come and be friends with me on twitter (@choifish7) or tumblr (cookiedrive)!!!


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